TRANMERE got their promotion hopes back on track with an exhilarating win against the high-flying Bees.

Brentford were unbeaten as they went into Saturday's clash at Prenton Park, but they had no answer to Rovers' superb passing and movement.

They were lucky to escape with a 3-1 mauling as Ray Mathias's men bounced back from two successive league defeats to go within three points of the Division Two summit.

The emergence of teenager right-back Ryan Taylor and the return from injury of left-back Gareth Roberts has given Tranmere far greater width, a quality highlighted by the sheer number of crosses that bombarded the visitors' penalty area throughout the afternoon.

Even the loss of skipper Kevin Gray with a calf injury after just 10 minutes could not halt the Tranmere tidal wave.

Strangely, it was Gray's substitution that helped keep the Bees on the back foot for virtually the whole game - Brentford did not manage a significant effort on target until the 74th minute.

Ray Mathias replaced the defender with forward Stuart Barlow and switched from a 3-5-2 formation to a more adventurous 4-3-3.

From there on Barlow was a constant thorn in the left side of Brentford and was responsible for much of the crossing that gave the visitors headaches all afternoon.

The Bees had not reached second place in the table without being organised and it took Tranmere until a minute before halftime to eventually break them down.

Taylor's throw in from the right was delivered straight into the opposition's penalty area.

Its bounce deceived the defence but not striker Simon Haworth, whose glancing header evaded keeper Paul Smith's dive and found the back of the net.

It was nothing less than Haworth deserved after he had earlier seen a header saved by Smith, then a looping header tipped over for a corner and a makeshift toe-poke hit the side netting while he was sprawled on the ground.

Barlow's quick-thinking had earlier almost given Tranmere the lead just before the half-hour mark. Gaining possession just inside the Brentford half, he spotted the keeper out of position and hit an instant shot.

But he was denied a Beckham-style moment of glory when Smith sprinted back to his goal line and somehow managed to claw the ball away for a corner.

Roberts also came close with a stunner just before the break. His 40-yard halfvolley from a Brentford clearance crashed on to the roof of the net.

Tranmere maintained the momentum straight after the interval. First Brentford escaped a convincing penalty shout when Price appeared to be tripped in the box and the referee waved away the home side's appeals.

Then Rovers were presented with a giltedged opportunity to make it 2-0.

Price, playing against his former team, seized on a defensive mix-up on the edge of the Bees' six-yard box.

His shot was brilliantly blocked by Smith and the ball fell to unmarked Gary Jones in front of an open goal.

The midfielder hesitated, allowing the keeper to recover, and only Jones knows how he managed to steer his shot wide of the far post.

He almost redeemed himself five minutes later as he rose to meet a corner swung in from the left, but his goal-bound effort was cleared by the keeper's feet.

The home team kept the pressure on and always seemed likely to score another goal. It came after 66 minutes with a Tranmere attack through the middle.

Mickey Mellon carried the ball to the edge of the penalty area and picked out Haworth in space on the left-hand side of the box.

The big striker met the cross perfectly, crashing a half-volley into the top corner of the goal.

John Achterberg had little to do in the Rovers goal, but was eventually called into action in the 74th minute when substitute Jamie Fullarton unleashed a low drive that was well held by the Dutchman.

Tranmere responded immediately. First Mellon's shot from the edge of the box was cleared off the line by Michael Dobson, then Price made the game safe on 86 minutes.

Barlow's cross from the left was met perfectly at the far post by the tall Welshman, who headed the ball past the stranded Smith.

In the final minute Tranmere again showed their vulnerability at corners when Brentford claimed a consolation goal. Midfielder Kevin O'Connor rose above the defence to head in Ijah Anderson's delivery.